Penn West Petroleum Ltd’s 2016 capital budget down 90% from last year, production to fall

CALGARY – Penn West Petroleum Ltd. is cutting its capital budget for 2016 to simply one-tenth of what it spent last year as the conventional oil and gas producer lowers its average daily output, shuts in wells and activly works to reduce expenses.

The Calgary-based company says its 2016 budget capital budget is going to be just $50 million, reflecting plans to shut within the same as 4,000 barrels per day of uneconomic production within the first quarter of this year.

The company also says its 2015 capital spending was $20 million underneath the $500 million which was anticipated in September. Earlier, the 2015 budget had been set at $840 million for 2015.

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Penn West – which operates mostly in southern Alberta and Saskatchewan – cut about 400 full-time employees and contractors last year, about 35 per cent of its workforce., because of the prolonged decline in oil prices.

Penn West ended 2015 producing a lot more than 77,000 barrels each day of oil, gas and liquids.

For next season, Penn West projects between 60,000 and 64,000 barrels each day of production in 2016.